itation. The meeting in London to present
a Petition to Parliament proves a failure.

1853-56. Years of prosperity owing to Free Trade and growth of
intelligence among the working classes prove the chief causes of the
death of Chartism. The workers now begin to aim at reforms through
their Trades Unions. The Co-operative Movement set on foot in
Rochdale in 1844 leads to the formation of many other branches.

Between the years 1851 and 1865 national imports nearly treble, and
exports more than double, themselves.

THOMAS CARLYLE (1795-1881). His writings more than those of any other
man give us a key to the meaning of the early Victorian Age. 1839.
_Chartism_. 1841. _Heroes and Hero Worship_. 1843. _Past and
Present_. 1850. _Latter-Day Pamphlets_.

CHARLES DICKENS (1812-70). 1836. _Pickwick Papers_. 1838. _Oliver
Twist_ (the evils of the Workhouse). 1850. _David Copperfield_
(contains sketches of Dickens' early life). 1853. _Hard Times_. 1857.
_Little Dorrit_ (the Marshalsea prison for debtors).

DISRAELI, LORD BEACONSFIELD (1804-81). 1844. _Coningsby_ (political
life and the 'Young England' policy). 1845. _Sybil_ (the claims of
the people). 1847. _Tancred_ (the Church and the State).

EBENEZER ELLIOTT (1781-1849). 1828. _Corn Law Rhymes_ (the poet of
the workers and of sorrow).

ELIZABETH CLEGHORN GASKELL (1810-65). 1848. _Mary Barton_
(Industrial Lancashire during the crisis of 1842). 1855. _North and
South_ (the struggle between Master and Man).

CHARLES KINGSLEY[7] (1819-75). 1848. _Yeast_ (the hard lives of the
agricultural labourers). 1850. _Alton Locke_ (life and labour of the
city poor).

[Footnote 7: The Prince Consort was a great admirer of the works of
Charles Kingsley, which, he said, in speaking of _Two Years Ago_,
showed "profound knowledge of human nature, and insight into the
relations between man, his actions, his destiny, and God." The Queen
was also one of his admirers, and in 1859 she appointed him one of
her chaplains. Later on he delivered a series of lectures on history
to the Prince of Wales.]

CHARLES READE (1814-84). 1856. _It is Never too Late to Mend_ (life
in an English prison). 1863. _Hard Cash_ (an exposure of bad
administration of lunatic asylums).

JOHN RUSKIN (1819-1900). 1859. _The Two Paths_. 1862. _Unto this
Last_. 1871. _Fors Clavigera_. (In the last-named book Ruskin
describes the scheme of his St George's Guild, an attempt to restore
happiness to England by allying a